More housing bias against people with disabilities
James Ballas is trapped in his rented condo in suburban Jacksonville, Florida, because the condo association and management company have not agreed to let him to build a ramp to the parking lot at his own expense. Ballas and his wife say they were told the ramp would be an eyesore.
Florida officials say Ballas, who is preparing a federal lawsuit, is part of a larger trend. They say they’ve seen an increase in the number of people with disabilities who are being denied housing or the right to make reasonable modifications.
They expect the problems to increase as the population ages, as more people will be living with physical disabilities and more people will take elderly parents into their homes.
“You cannot basically depend on everybody being able to be able-bodied all of their lives,” said Danille Carroll, director of the Civil Rights Unit of the Florida Attorney General’s Office. “It’s a real possibility that this is going to be a bigger and bigger factor.”